The wood and epoxy boat building story

Well, not really a story but in this case I have just fitted the shower tray to the aft cabin of a Dix 43 launched in 2000.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

What you cannot see is the new water collection tray under the plantation teak grate, check back on this blog to see the pictures of the tray.


http://www.whalepumps.com/marine/product.aspx?Category_ID=10021&Product_ID=10037&FriendlyID=Gulper-220

A really nice pump has been installed, it sure moves the water out fast.

This wood/epoxy built Dix 43 is now fifteen years old.

It is for sale, please contact me for the Word document and information on the boat.

Roy

The Bombaloza skiff in the water

Based on three sheets of lightweight okoume marine plywood, this skiff is easy to lift and handle.

Click on the images to enlarge them.

Plans also exist for a two seater with a four seat design being worked on right now.

The alloy hardware can be sourced from an outside supplier.

Why not build yourself a rowing skiff, there are many places that you can use them and to move one its as easy as a car top roof rack.

My thanks to David, the designer for supplying the pictures.

Roy

Mariquita news

What can I say, some pictures of the five times Lipton Cup winner came in from Vienna today.

Stunning comes to mind?

Roy

Killarney international raceway Heritage Day event

HERITAGE DAY AT KILLARNEY:
Classic and Vintage Car show:

Thursday, September 24 - 2015 is a  public holiday

A major, Vintage, Veteran and Classic car and motorcycle show that suitably commemorates our national Heritage Day, is going to be staged at Killarney on the Thursday, September 24 public holiday. Open to any two or four wheel entry built before 1985 and backdated as far as when Germany’s Karl Benz launched his first Benz Patent Motor Car in 1886, it promises to be the biggest promotion of its kind seen in the Cape in recent years.
To facilitate the judging, the show is being divided into three classes that are being determined by the age of the entries. Any unit built before 1940 will be classified a genuine Golden Oldie. The other classes are from 1941 to 1970 and finally 1971 to 1985. In addition, although they will not be classified as part of the show, the latest Jaguars as well as a variety of other new models will be on display outside the Jaguar Owners Club, clubhouse. All the official V,V&C entries are being accommodated nearby, on the infield area behind the Western Province Motor Club’s clubhouse.

Incidentally, this positioning has a historic significance of its own. The access road around the clubhouse and across the infield display area -- that incidentally is large enough to house hundreds of cars and bikes -- was part of the very first Killarney race track that saw action during the 1950’s.

The Jaguars on show, will include examples of the magnificent pre--WW2 classic SS100 sports car, as well as early post war Jaguar XK120’s. Of course urban legend has it that the first XK 120 left hooker that arrived in Cape Town was reputed to have previously belonged to Hollywood film star Clark Gable. A genuine petrolhead, Gable had taken delivery of the first XK roadster to come off the Jaguar production line. The problem was there were eventually several so-called “ex--Clark Gable Jags” on the roads in South Africa. 

A canal, river or inshore waters, long range power cruising boat kit

This was done purely as a concept design and a few years back, the idea is still there it just needs someone who wants such a boat to allow the design to be completed?

Two possible layouts are shown, the final layout would be to the owners requirements.

I would expect  this design to be in a plywood/epoxy build with a GRP sheathing over it to add strength for contact with lock gates and walls?

Click on the images to view in a larger size.

The designer to this stage comments below.

I had anticipated about 40 Hp - 50 Hp for this design.
 Consumption around 2 l/h, at cruising speed of say 5-6 kts, would
give a daily range of 120 nm, using 48 l fuel (approx). If you carried 480
l, that would give you 10 days cruising, with a theoretical max range of
1200 nm in flat waters. Call it 1000 nm.

This design was intended as a versatile passagemaker - for med type
conditions, rather than canals. It would be ok on European rivers and
waterways, and the Med sea for example. Subject to beam restrictions, not
sure about the UK.

My thanks to JP for supplying the concept drawings which are copyright to himself.
Note, they must not be used for contruction in any form.

The final design and building details will be drawn up by a well known boat designer.

Comments invited!

Roy

Bombaloza scull building pictures

Dave, the Bombaloza Scull designer has just sent me some nice pictures of one of our CNC kits being assembled.

Myles had a very narrow space to  work in but managed very well.

Myles is now on the water, we supplied another  kit to a new builder last week, pictures of that build as they come in will be posted.

Roy

The Optimist dinghy kit

We have done many of  these during our last twelve years or so.

The boat in the first picture was built from one of our kits.

I think its now in Australia?

The builders jig is your starting point, the wood/epoxy boat has to have a jig,  this is a great idea anyway as it speeds up the building process.

The floor or bottom of the boat is the first panel to be fitted into the jig.

The sides, bow and transom follow, fitting the panels is a step by step process.

This amount of clamps is nice to have but you  can manage with a lot fewer clamps.

We supply a very documented builders instruction guide, it has 27 pages in it with  lots of build pictures and a step by step explanation of what to do.

Flicka 20 station panels

With the decline of the value of the Rand currency,our Flicka 20 frame sections price has come down from U$1000  to just U$588.

We are asked many times do we have the Flicka 20 plans, the reply is always the same, no.

What we do have is the frame sections profiles, this also indicates where the slab of lead ballast will fit. From what we have we can supply a set of sections cut from MDF (supawood) for about the cost of R8000, thats around U$588 right now. From the frame kit you can do a really nice strip plank build, we could also supply the clear oregon pine and epoxy required.

That will ship as an 8 x 4 flat pack (2440 x 1220) and we can arrange the shipping at actual cost as well.

Licence agreement?

The buyer has to understand that we are offering the boats shape profiles with no specific plans or licence to build the boat but as the plans were previously published in Rudder Magazine, we feel the plans are now in a free domain.

A wood/epoxy canal boat kit?

This has been discussed for some time but we have never progressed past the talking stage.

An enquiry of sorts came in from England today, my reply is below.

Such a craft will also suit slow moving rivers and lakes?

This idea remains but as we never recieved an order, it went no place fast.

The concept is easy, the internals, things like the cupboards and so on become the frames which hold the shape and keep it together.

We would offer it as an entire shell with the interior all CNC cut, a doddle to assemble really, very much simpler than a yacht for sure.

With no enquiries and no design existing, means it will not happen, as to date I have used other designers, then sell the kits based on their work.

A well known yacht designer in the USA showed some interest but I then have to pay him for the design work.

A kit to a 27ft boat would be about R80,000?

Not sure really but thats a good guess?

Roy

The Optimist dinghy kit

We have done a lot of these kits, the first order from the KYC sent us on the way very well as they gave us an order for eight kit sets to start with.

http://www.duckworksmagazine.com/06/designs/optimist/index.htm

The Wood-Epoxy design is still built to the original class rules but certain changes were made to make the design lighter and even stronger than the 'GRP' design at a fraction of the price. With adding the additional thin epoxy saturation to the hull it keeps the boat's surface from drawing in moisture that could add weight.

We supply all the materials that are on the table in the first picture, plus the epoxy, glass tape and fillers kit if required.

Each kit is supplied with a 14 page A4 builders guide with pictures of each step of the assembly process.

Its easy, honest!

Roy